


I'll Always Keep You Safe (Until My Last Breath)

by Sexy_Avengers17



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Deaf Clint Barton, Fluff without Plot, Hurt Bucky Barnes, M/M, No Plot/Plotless, POV Clint Barton, Protective Clint Barton, Sick Bucky Barnes, Sick Character, Taking Care of Bucky Barnes, winterhawk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 22:27:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15567702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sexy_Avengers17/pseuds/Sexy_Avengers17
Summary: Bucky gets sick and it’s up to Clint to take care of him in more ways than one.





	I'll Always Keep You Safe (Until My Last Breath)

**Author's Note:**

> So this is kinda plotless but I was in the mood of writing something about Clint taking care of Bucky so I hope you guys like it :)  
> Based on the prompt "I have a clingy and feverish assassin on my lap. I’ll call you back when I’ve convinced him that a cold doesn’t mean he’s dying.”

**Clint**

“Sorry, Katie Kate,” Clint started through the phone. Bucky groaned at how loud he sounded and whispered the next part, “I have a clingy and feverish assassin on my lap. I’ll call you back when I’ve convinced him that a cold doesn’t mean he’s dying.”  
  
Bucky groaned again and shove his shoulder into Clint’s side with too much force for being sick.  
  
Kate sighed. “Don’t call me—know what, never mind,” she said. “I’m still over at L.A. so I’ll need you to tell Coulson to put someone else up for my work. Hope Bucky feels better, bye Francis.”  
  
She ended the call before Clint could complain because telling Coulson that meant he was going to get Kate’s work plus his own plus Bucky’s if he didn’t get better. And, she called him Francis.  
  
“She called me Francis,” Clint muttered. Bucky snorted softly and turned so he was staring back at Clint through dazed eyes.  
  
“Well I’m not sick nor feverish, Francis,” he said. Clint rolled his eyes at the name.  
  
“Yes you are, Buchanan,” Clint answered. Bucky rolled his eyes back.  
  
“Well if I am them I’m probably dying,” Bucky said. “I’m not supposed to get sick.”  
  
Bucky had a point though. The serum in his body should prevent him from getting sick as much as it prevents Steve, but his version of the serum was different, and Hydra wasn’t exactly that competent. Clint told Bucky that.  
  
“I am not sick!” Bucky exclaimed. The outburst made him start coughing uncontrollably, and Clint stared at him until he calmed down. “Shut up.”  
  
Clint wanted to talk when Bucky started coughing again. He made him seat when it didn’t stop and got him a glass of water.  
  
“I may be sick.” Bucky’s voice was rough now. Clint chuckled quietly and pulled Bucky to lie against his side. He started slowly caressing his hair.  
  
“We can call Bruce and tell him to come over and see what’s up,” Clint offered.  
  
Bucky shook his head. “If we tell him then Stevie will find out, and he’ll go into mother hen mode.”  
  
“But—”  
  
“I’m serious,” Bucky said. He turned to stare at Clint with puppy eyes and something else that he couldn’t identify but knew not to push. “I can just sleep against you until it goes away.”  
  
Clint wanted to protest but Bucky continued to stare pleadingly. He sighed.  
  
“Okay,” he gave in, “but you let me take care of you.”  
  
Bucky nodded eagerly and cuddled even closer to Clint. He put the tv on with the subtitles and low volume, and started passing channels until he found one that Bucky liked.  
  
They stayed like that for a while until Bucky suddenly started shivering.  
  
“I’ll bring you a blanket,” Clint said. Bucky hummed absently.  
  
“Don’t leave me alone,” he said, grabbing Clint’s wrist desperately. Clint leaned in and kissed his cheek.  
  
“I’m just getting a blanket, babe,” he said, taking Bucky’s hand and squeezing. Clint couldn’t help but notice how hot and clammy Bucky’s skin felt.  
  
He came back with a blanket and a thermometer, and yes, after putting it to Bucky’s forehead decided he had a fever.  
  
“Bucky,” he said softly. “You got a strong fever.”  
  
Bucky groaned and tried to sit up from where he was lying on the couch. He was too weak and stayed down, still shivering.  
  
“I don’t,” he mumbled. Clint showed him the thermometer then. Bucky just frowned and looked away.  
  
Clint crouched in front of him and moved Bucky’s hair out of the way from where it stuck to his forehead. “How about I prepare you a bath?”  
  
“No,” Bucky said. “I’m fine.” To prove it he sat up suddenly and groaned. “Oh, fuck, everything’s spinning around.”  
  
Clint chuckled and pulled Bucky’s forehead to his. “Bath,” he said. “You’ll feel better afterwards.”  
  
Bucky took a deep breath and nodded. He leaned in to kiss Clint and then thought better of it and kissed his nose.  
  
“I’ll be back for you after the tub is full.”  
  
“No,” Bucky said forcefully. “I’ll go with you and wait there.”  
  
Clint nodded and didn’t mention how Bucky seemed clingier than he ever had. He helped Bucky up and grabbed his waist to keep him steady while going up the stairs.  
  
Lucky woke up from his slumber and made a move to follow them to the bathroom. Clint let him, since Bucky seemed like he needed the company.  
  
He sat Bucky on the toilet and let the tub fill with lukewarm water.  
  
“Clint?” Bucky said.  
  
Clint hummed in answer. “I’m here.” He turned to face Bucky. He had his eyes closed and had his face against his fist. “Let’s take your clothes off.”  
  
The most Clint had ever seen of Bucky naked was on boxers, and he had no problems about it. He understood Bucky still had his reservations. So, he stripped him off everything but underwear.  
  
To the tub now?” Bucky asked. Clint nodded and helped him get in. One foot in, and Bucky jumped back. “That shit’s cold.”  
  
“It’s not cold, you’re fevered,” Clint explained. “Come on, get in. I’ll be here.”  
  
Bucky stared at him and nodded. Once he settled in, still shivering, Clint started passing a wet towel over his back, through his shoulders and arms.  
  
Bucky sighed contentedly and lied his head on Clint’s leg. He continued to pass the towel over Bucky’s body while humming absently until he stopped shivering.  
  
“Hey, Buck.” Clint shook him carefully. He had fallen asleep and slowly woke up to smile softly at Clint. “How you feeling?”  
  
“Well it’s not cold anymore,” he answered. “I’m still thinking I’m gonna die though.”  
  
Clint laughed. At least Bucky was more attentive now. He made Lucky bring the towel hanging at the door, helped dry Bucky and took him to their room.  
  
“Are you strong enough to change on your own?” Clint asked.  
  
Bucky then seemed thorn between having to change alone or letting Clint see him naked.  
  
“Lucky can stay with you while you change,” Clint offered. “And I’ll be right outside the door.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Clint nodded and left the room. He frowned at nothing, thinking about Bucky’s recent behavior. He seemed kind of… dependent?  
  
Then again, he was sick, and it was the first time he had been in a long time. Maybe it had to do with that. Clint was broken off his reverie when Bucky called for him.  
  
He entered the room just as Bucky had gotten a hoodie on. He had some sweats too and looked warm enough. Clint wasn’t sure if it was okay for him to be that warm, but the fever had gone down already.  
  
“I’m gonna sleep,” Bucky said. He looked at Clint, and the silent question was there. Clint quickly changed into his own pajamas and lied down. Bucky was quick to lie on his side, hugging Clint while he retaliated by wrapping him warmly and letting him use his chest as a pillow.  
  
“You okay?” Clint asked. He waited to see if Bucky wanted to tell him what was happening, but he just nodded and hugged him tighter.  
  
Lucky climbed up to the free space next to Clint’s leg and stayed there. Clint didn’t know how much time passed while they stayed like that, and he had thought Bucky had already fallen asleep.  
  
“Clint?” Bucky whispered. He hummed in answer. “Nothing.”  
  
“Goodnight, Buck,” Clint mumbled into his hair. He started caressing his back softly, up and down.  
  
“You there?” Bucky asked again.  
  
Clint nodded and turned down to look Bucky in the eyes. “Still here,” he said, taking his hand and holding it. “I’ll stay awake for a while, you sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
He did stay awake for a long period of time. Just in case Bucky woke up. Clint kept the thermometer with him, so he could check for fevers every now and then.  
  
Clint didn’t want to sleep either way. Not when Bucky was sick and counting on him to take care of him, so he stayed awake through the night, the tv on so he didn’t bore to death.  
  
Bucky seemed better now that he was rested and asleep. The fever was still there but not as strong as it had been, and while sometimes his breath caught on his throat he didn’t seem to have problem breathing.  
  
Clint must’ve fallen asleep without meaning too, because the next thing he knew he woke up to Bucky shivering against him.  
  
He was about to put a blanket over them when he noticed Bucky’s hands were clenching his shirt. He started wheezing slightly then, and Clint knew better.  
  
He was having a nightmare.  
  
Clint sat up and carefully shook Bucky awake. He woke up in no time, with a horrible coughing fit that came from the core of his lungs.  
  
“Clint—” Bucky wheezed, searching blindly for his hand. Clint took it and tried to soothe Bucky, but he was getting nowhere with the coughing and wheezing.  
  
“I’ll be right back,” Clint said, standing up.  
  
“No—” Bucky started. “Don’t leav—”  
  
Clint felt bad leaving Bucky alone but he needed to get an inhaler. Maybe that will help. He got back to the room and put the inhaler in Bucky’s hands.  
  
Bucky got four puffs in until he slowly started to calm down. He gave the inhaler back to Clint and pulled his knees up to hug them and hide his face in there.  
  
Clint let him be as Bucky just took deep breaths, but he noticed he was shaking and it wasn’t because of the cold.  
  
“Aww, please don’t cry, baby,” Clint said, putting his arms around Bucky and slowly pulling him towards him until he gave in.  
  
Bucky sobbed quietly as Clint held him and rubbed his back comfortingly.  
  
“What’s wrong, Buck?” Clint asked once he calmed down. Bucky shook his head and turned away.  
  
“It’s stupid,” he muttered. “Doesn’t matter anyways.”  
  
“Don’t say that, we’ve talked about this already,” Clint answered. He moved so they were facing each other and carefully grabbed Bucky’s face in his hands. Clint cleaned the remaining tears away. “It’s okay to feel overwhelmed and scared.”  
  
Bucky managed a small smile before needing to cough a bit. He groaned and lied his forehead to Clint’s chest.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Bucky said. Clint shook his head  
  
“Don’t be,” he said. “Just… tell me what’s happening, Bucky, you’re worrying me.”  
  
Bucky stayed quiet for a while as Clint passed a hand through his hair.  
  
“I don’t like being sick.” Bucky’s voice was muffled by Clint’s shirt, but his aids caught what he said. “I hadn’t been in a long time and after Hydra, getting sick just means… I’m vulnerable, and it just. It scares me.”  
  
Clint felt his heart constrict at how frightened Bucky sounded, and he pulled him closer. That was it. Bucky felt vulnerable and needed Clint to keep him safe.  
  
“I’m here, Buck,” Clint assured. He grabbed his chin and made him look him in the eyes. “I’ll protect you, okay? You can sleep, be sick, be cooking, hell, just a normal day doing nothing, and I will always keep you safe until my last breath.”  
  
Bucky stared at him and smiled one of the prettiest smiles Clint had ever seen. “I love you.”  
  
Clint kissed him softly then, sickness be damned. “I love you too,” he whispered. “Do you want to sleep now?” Bucky nodded, and they lied down together. “I’ll protect you,” Clint added with a whisper.  
  
“I know,” Bucky said. He snuggled closer into Clint.  
  
Clint waited for Bucky to fall asleep and stayed awake for a while more, and when he felt himself doze off, he pulled Bucky tighter against him.

 

*****

 

Clint woke up slowly and opened his eyes. He noticed he was alone and immediately sat up, aware of the missing sick super soldier. He was about to call for Bucky when he heard a crash downstairs and then Lucky barking.  
  
Clint ran downstairs, trying not to fall over his feet. Lucky greeted him and directed him to the kitchen. He sighed when he saw it wasn’t as bad as he thought. Clint walked over to Bucky’s kneeled figure on the floor and helped him pick up the broken pieces of what had once been a mug.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Bucky said, not turning to Clint. “I just wanted to ma—” he coughed and composed himself, “—to make some coffee for you.”  
  
Clint smiled softly at him. “Oh, Buck, you didn’t have to,” he said, placing a kiss to his hair.  
  
Bucky coughed again but he still didn’t turn completely. “Yes, I had to,” he said.  
  
“Hey, Buck,” Clint said. He put his hair behind his ear and grabbed his face tenderly. Clint frowned as he felt the hotness against his hands. “You’re having a fever again.”  
  
Bucky moved away and stood up. Clint quickly followed when he noticed him sway and balance himself with the metal hand. Clint helped him stand right and noticed Bucky’s flesh hand was shaking slightly.  
  
“Are you cold?” Clint asked. Bucky groaned but nodded. He put his hand against Bucky’s forehead, but he pulled away. “Bucky, I need to check your fever.”  
  
Bucky lied his head on the crook of Clint’s neck. “I don’t have a fever.”  
  
“Well, you’re shaking from the cold when it’s a perfectly warm morning,” Clint said. “Come on, let me check, you might need a bath.”  
  
“I don’t need a bath!” Bucky exclaimed. He pushed Clint away, but it seemed to have more effect on himself. He grabbed a hold of the counter as another coughing fit got to him.  
  
Clint stood next to him and waited for Bucky to calm down. He understood when Bucky needed his space even from him.  
  
Bucky sat down on the floor with his legs curled into hi, so Clint sat quietly to his side.  
  
“Sorry I pushed you.” Bucky lied his head on Clint’s shoulder, and he hugged him closer.  
  
“It’s okay,” Clint said.  
  
“I just hate being sick,” Bucky whispered hiding his face again. “I feel so weak.”  
  
“I’ll give you my strength,” Clint said without hesitating. “How ´bout that? You’ll feel better if we get through this together, right?”  
  
Bucky took a deep breath and nodded once. They stayed on the floor for a few moments until Bucky decided to move.  
  
“If we tell Bruce, then he could check you up and then you’ll get better faster,” Clint said once Bucky was lying down on the couch. Bucky hid his face on the cushion.  
  
“No, you take care of me still,” he said. “If I don’t feel better in the afternoon we call him.”  
  
Clint sighed but nodded. “You know you can also trust them.”  
  
“I know.” Bucky took a deep breath and stared with tired puppy eyes. “Just… please.”  
  
Clint rubbed at his face. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to take care of Bucky, far from it. He just wanted him to get better and stop feeling so unprotected.  
  
But this was what he needed so Clint was going to give him that.  
  
“Okay,” he said, “but let me put wet cloths on you to get the fever down, plus I’m making you soup. You can’t go on an empty stomach all day.”  
  
Bucky opened his mouth to protest, but Clint shut him up with a quick kiss.  
  
“No buts.”  
  
“Okay, mom,” Bucky joked. Clint snorted and called Lucky over to lie down next to the sofa as company.  
  
“I’ll be right there on the kitchen,” Clint said. Bucky nodded, and he seemed calmer than before, even if the sickness was still there.  
  
Clint went into the kitchen and quickly prepared a decent chicken soup and some towels to put over Bucky’s skin to ease the fever. All the while he kept small chatter with Bucky to keep him at ease, and Bucky tried to answer in between coughs.  
  
“Sit up, Buchanan,” Clint instructed. Bucky rolled his eyes at the name but deigned to sit up. He stayed put as Clint got the damp clothes over his arm, neck and stomach.  
  
“You are not spoon feeding me, Clinton,” Bucky said. Clint stared at him unimpressed.  
  
“Okay, try to do it yourself.”  
  
Bucky’s right hand was still shaking slightly so he couldn’t hold the spoon nor the bowl without dropping the food, so he didn’t even try.  
  
He ended up glaring half-heartedly at Clint while he fed him the soup.  
  
“We don’t talk about this to anyone,” Bucky said once he finished.  
  
“Oh, I wouldn’t tell,” Clint joked.  
  
Thankfully, Bucky’s stomach didn’t reject the soup and the fever had slowly gone down again by the time he had finished eating it. Clint took that as a good signal.  
  
“I won’t call Bruce unless the fever spikes up again,” Clint said. “How’s your throat?”  
  
“Feeling better,” Bucky said. “The soup seemed to help.”  
  
“Well, I do one hell of a delicious soup.” Clint grinned proudly.  
  
“Or my taste buds are just dead at the moment,” Bucky joked.  
  
Clint rolled his eyes. He made Bucky scoot over, so they could lie together at the couch.  
  
Clint observed his features quietly. The grey eyes with a storm on them, the stubble covering his jaw, the way his hair framed his face. Beautifully. Even with a cold he looked perfect.  
  
“You’re gorgeous,” Clint whispered. Bucky smiled sheepishly and hid his face on Clint’s neck as he blushed. “And you’re cute when you blush.”  
  
Bucky snorted against him, but Clint knew he was blushing furiously now.  
  
“Stop it,” Bucky said with a laugh.  
  
“I can’t,” Clint answered. “Because that means I got to stop loving you, and I ain’t gonna stop doing that.”  
  
Bucky raised his face now and through tired eyes stared at him lovingly. Clint couldn’t resist leaning in and kissing him full on the lips and only stopped when Bucky separated.  
  
“You’ll get sick,” he mumbled.  
  
Clint rolled his eyes and started kissing him again. “I won’t,” he said against his lips. Clint put his hand on Bucky’s neck and brought him closer to him so they could kiss again.  
  
Bucky put an arm on the couch’s armrest to get properly over Clint and passed his flesh hand under the hem of his shirt. Clint shivered as he got his shirt off and stayed naked under Bucky.  
  
“Being sick doesn’t stop you, does it?” Clint teased. He brought a hand to caress his face. Bucky smirked down at him, and it was Clint’s turn to blush.  
  
“Like you said,” Bucky whispered inches away from his face. “I’m never gonna stop loving you either.”  
  
They made out on the couch for another while until Bucky needed to catch his breath. After that they proceeded to stay on the couch watching tv while Clint took care of Bucky, and soon enough it was night, and every hint of Bucky being sick had almost left him.  
  
“See?” Clint whispered when they lied tangled in bed. “I told you we would get through this together.”  
  
Bucky cuddled against Clint and he felt him smile against him. “Thanks for taking care of me.”  
  
“Always,” Clint answered. He leaned in to kiss Bucky goodnight and moved away when he felt the need to cough. Bucky stared at him, trying to hide a smile. “I am not getting sick.”  
  
Bucky laughed and kissed his cheek before falling asleep. The next day, Clint woke up with a sore throat, the need to cough every five seconds, and a healthy super soldier saying ‘I told you so’.  
  
“I told you you were going to get sick,” Bucky said putting a blanket around Clint.  
  
“Shut up and cuddle me,” Clint said. Bucky smiled at him and didn’t hesitate to lie next to Clint.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Instagram as @gosh.ilove.arrows and please don't hesitate to dm me or prompt me!


End file.
